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July: Hype Stickers

Boy, I'm getting these things up later and later. Thanks for checking out what I listened to for this installment of Search/Play/Repeat. A lot of 2020 releases in this month's playlist. Some of which that have been a long time coming. There isn't really a "theme" for this month. I just did some bouncing around. One of my new favorite bands are The 1865 which I happened upon last month. While continuing to listen to their album, Don't Tread on We, I found myself perusing the "Fans Also Like" tab of their Spotify...page? I dunno, is it considered a "page?" Anyway, the first two bands that popped up were The Muslims and Pleasure Venom. The latter falls on the heavier side of Post-Punk, while The Muslims are raw Punk. The Muslims released their new album, Gentrifried Chicken, back in April its perfect for anyone looking for fast-paced Punk, but the album harbors some catchy Garage-Rock tunes as well.  "Sura Sura" is a great track, and probably one of my favorites of the year. There's also a witty rendition of Blink 182's, "What's My Age Again?" that's titled "Blink 9-11 (What's My Race Again?)" that I also suggest checking out.

July was loaded with notable new releases. A few of them from veteran Punk bands. Strike Anywhere released their new EP, Nightmares of the West. Their first new music in 11 years, and it sounds like they picked up right where they left off. Pop-Punkers, Broadway Calls, released Sad in the City which is their first new album in 7 years, and The Lawrence Arms returned after 6 years with Skeleton Coast. One of the albums I was most excited for was the sophomore record from The Beths, Jump Rope Gazers, and it did not disappoint. It's a more mellow record compared to their debut, Future Me Hates Me, but the Power-Pop and catchy melodies they're known for are there.

The surprise release of the month was Blaqk Audio's Beneath the Black Palm (Side A). Well, okay, it was actually Taylor Swift's folklore, but I haven't checked it out yet. Blaqk Audio released a new album just last year, but they're back with another album due to release at the end of August. The duo were kind enough to release the first half for fans to enjoy until then. Marilyn Manson announced a new album as well and dropped his new single, "We Are Chaos." Admittedly, I haven't really heard anything Manson has done in like two decades, so I have no idea if this has been the direction he's been heading in, but I like it. The music video was pretty on brand for Manson though. Weird choppy imagery complete with a baby playing with a mobile of singing Marilyn Mansons.

That's some of the new music I listened to. Some non-2020 releases made it into rotation as well. I checked out The Roots' Things Fall Apart. A couple weeks after listening to the album, Malick B. died. Another night, a friend and I were pulling a "remember that band" with I Am Ghost. Curiostiy got the best of me and I looked up what the lead singer was up too and saw he has a new band called My Immortal Enemy. It sounds like I Am Ghost if I Am Ghost had continued on, which is probably good for fans of I Am Ghost.

And with that, I'll be bringing July's S/P/R to a close. Thanks for listening! We're reaching the middle of Summer so stay cool. Hunker down next to the A/C and listen to some music and try to find something you haven't listened to before.

The Formative Years – ACME 7”

In 1993, I received a demo tape “Menschenmaschine” by a band from the Northern regions of Germany that had just changed its name from New Deal.  The artwork, new band logo and presentation did not exactly catch my eye and it took a while until I felt compelled to give it a spin, however, upon first listening I could not quite fathom the onslaught that was unleashed on me.

While the songs were raw in nature, even those early recordings indicated that there was something to the song writing that calibrated the incorporation of extreme metal styles without ever confining themselves to any stylistic limitations in an unparalleled manner, while still honouring the rawness of traditional metal-tinged hardcore bands.

We are not merely talking about lifting the occasional trademark Slayer riffage here and there, but a tour de force in the curation of an idiosyncratic melange that skimmed the best and most intense ingredients of grind, sludge, death and black metal and cooked it up to a venomous broth that infused the bands’ own DNA.

ACME’s songs from the demo were re-recorded by Systral’s bassist and sound-hexer par excellence Dirk Kusche in his Kuschelrock-Studios, where the recordings were refined and taken to the next level.

What resulted was the musical equivalent to napalm and something that remains unrivalled to this day. Dirk Kusche has since produced many great releases be it for his own bands or other heavy Mucke bands, however, the way ACME’s violent outburst of atonal, densely layered riffage is paired with the detonating double-bass hammerings created an atmosphere where blackness started to shine.

Yes, ACME might have been part of what became labelled as the “Bremen Schule” along with other  local bands dabbling in the genre, but they instantaneously and effortlessly created a league of their own as their majestically noisy songs pulverized everything else with their over-the-top annihilating aggression.

The sonic equivalent to a chainsaw gone flying, made all the more interesting as the band itself did exactly fit the visual stereotype of looking and behaving like the cast of Mad Max, as one might imagine from listening to their emissions.

Kusche’s recordings were eventually released on Jeroen Lauwers’ Machination Records as a 7”, a label that evolved after his joint-effort with Ed Verhaeghe, i.e. Warehouse Records folded and whose back catalogue includes such interesting bands as Fabric, one of the first musical endeavours of Tony Sylvester who amongst many other incarnations and manifold detours now quite successfully fronts Turbonegro.

It was only a matter of time until the “Bremen sound” and specifically that of ACME fell on fertile ground in the new world, which saw ACME’s discography  - merely nine perfectly violent tracks -  re-released by Edison Recordings under the name "...to Reduce the Choir to One Soloist" in 1996, long after the band had folded.

A release that seals the legacy of a timeless mayhemic, hyper-savage , dark and neurotic inferno of a band that redefined sonic brutality.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – The Southern Highlands Brewing Co

Formed a decade ago, it is a shame that I became only very recently aware of the existence of The Southern Highland Brewing Co.

With the name being a telling one, i.e. the brewery being located in the Australian Southern Highlands, the brews the duo, which originally met at a Rugby game, have been accolade decorated from the get-go.

With a playfully named core range that tickles all nuances a beer lover could wish for, i.e. starting with lager and rising the bitterness via Pale Ales, my favourite of Southern Highlands’ emissions is their fantastic Tighthead IPA.

Now, what is commonly labelled as “American IPA” has evolved quite a bit since the style first emanated in the early 1980s.

 Based on a melange of Warrior and Chinook hops, this delightfully herbal, piney and citrusy new world IPA might not be overly complex or fruity like many of its contemporary peers in the ever expanding craft beer market, yet did a borderline perfect job as being the complementary constituent to complement a Boilermaker with Laphroaig’s Lore with its balancing malt backbone. Clean and bready tasting, moderately bitter light in both body and mouthfeel and if properly chilled, an immensely enjoyable crisp and well-crafted IPA. It appears that the mash temperature and grain bill has been manipulated in a manner to let the IPA finish in a superbly dry manner.

If you are an aficionado of tropical flavours, Southern Highlands Brewing’s latest seasonal, the Rain Ale or Shine Dark Tropical will be right up your alley. Clocking in at 6% ABV, what materializes on the palate is an extra pale ale variant with dominating fruity and citrussy highlights, that are pervaded by subtle nuances of dark malt.

With their brews getting the recognition they deserve at European beer awards; lovers of expertly crafted ales worldwide should take note and keep their eyes peeled as Southern Highlands is currently looking at exporting its emissions into overseas markets.

High Adventure in the Great Outdoors - Bellroy

When it comes to what is commonly being labelled as “Everyday Carry Essentials”, there is no shortage of self-proclaimed premium brands that look the part, however, when put to the test, most of them do not lend themselves to go the distance.

Bellroy has established itself firmly as a premium brand when it comes to both style and quality of crafted wallets, bags, and travel accessories. Travelling quite a bit, it was only a matter of time until I felt the urge to road-test their products for myself.

With its origins in Australian as a start-up that incarnated a decade ago, it has evolved to become a global brand and expanded its portfolio to include pretty much everything you would need to either carry or protect your gear in style.

Once you hold one of Bellroy’s products in your hands, it proves hard to not be impressed by the craftmanship, design and attention to detail as a far as the manufacturing and the materials are concerned. It definitely is a brand that does not merely look but also feels nice – something I cannot really claim for a lot of other brands.

A staple of Bellroy’s portfolio is their slim note sleeve wallet, the collection of which evolved to include a range of designer editions. As the name suggests, it is a slim variant of a wallet, however, one that is cleverly designed with details galore (e.g. quick access card slots and pull-tab section)  that helps to fit your essentials in without making you look like the hunchback of Notre Dame when carrying it in your back pocket.

The fact that quality materials are used, bodes well in the light of longevity and what I like about Bellroy’s products is that with the patina that time, tear and wear leaves on them, it adds another idiosyncratic dimension and personalised touch.

The accompanying toiletry follows the same patterns in terms of looking small but holding all of my toiletries. I love both the spill-resistant lining and the magnetic sleeves to help keep things compartmentalised. Another lasting slim, well-designed accessory to hold and organize it all.

Having a Travel Folio might sound grandiose to the occasional traveller, but once customs and check ins become a regular occurrence in your life, especially if you have to carry multiple passports, boarding passes, cash, cards, hotel keys, notes, et cetera, one learns to appreciate having a good, versatile one that keeps it all together.  Bellroy’s RFID one comes with a neat le little notebook and pen it came, tucked in as well.

The fact that Bellroy’s gear is made from sustainably produced fabric and environmentally certified leather and back by extensive warranties, makes it a worthwhile investment and it makes me curious if their back related products hold up equally.

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image from company website

The Formative Years – Born Against and Vermiform Records

Sometimes it is funny how music and the ideas it portrays strike a chord upon first listen. Musically and looking at individual sonic ingredients, it might be the song writing, energy and catchiness that will sink its hooks into you immediately and resonate the first time you listen to a song.

However, these things tend to become stale with time because there are, in a way, somewhat superficial elements to every song.

What makes you keep listening to a song is when, below the surface and the catchy rhythm, there are a wealth of other idiosyncratic details, side plots, or mysterious feelings or ideas that you cannot quite put your finger on. Within the musically often confined realm of punk and hardcore, interesting lyrics and an angle that you can relate to, a story, or just a sound that has an interesting new character play a major role.

As a teenage delinquent, emotional and social contexts from the surroundings that I listened to songs served as amplifiers of immense proportions as a song became an encapsulation of significant moments, or a time of my life, and lived on through that.

In 1991 I spent my allowance on mail ordering new music on a regular basis.  Provocative names and titles that caught my attention served as a major motivation to make the effort to pay a visit to the bank, exchange Deutschmarks into US currency, write a letter, enclose cash and hope that weeks later slabs of vinyl would materialize in my mailbox.

When the name Born Against popped up, it caught my attention straight away and after consulting my dictionary to find out what the title of their 7” “Eulogy” meant, I had to get it.

I am not sure what I was expecting but after the first spin of Born Against’s first 7”, taking in the artwork and overall aesthetic, things were no longer the same.

I found a band that challenged the status quo of the scene (in this case supposedly an affront to how Equal Vision Records conducted themselves), had an aggressive political message, a DIY approach, a kick-ass aesthetic yet was sonically abrasive and powerful and informed by everything I loved about traditional hardcore punk.

I made a concerted effort to not only track  down their demo, every compilation track as well as revisit the releases by their predecessor Life’s Blood, but also started collecting not only earch of theirs but also the releases on the singers, i.e. Sam McPheeters’ Vermiform label, his Dear Jesus fanzines and later on both his other musical and written emissions, all of which had challenged me in the most wondrous ways.

Witnessing Born Against in a live environment during their European tour with Nations on Fire in 1992 solidified my interest as their demeanour, inner band tensions and refreshingly alien status and non-conformant attitude in a cliché-ridden scene all contributed to their appeal.

A unicorn of a band that remains unrivalled both in terms of sound and vision to this day.